How have we managed to turn thanking the NHS into a pissing contest?

Well, this is a very astute piece, I must say. "I wonder they're printing ration books ready", said my old Mom. More seriously, after clapping ( a Franco-Italian invention for all you Brexiteers btw) for the NHS, how about a Slow handclap for those who had let things run down over the years?

Absolutely! Broadcast this far and wide!

Well we do have the 'Sing for Wales' facebook group.. where everyone goes out and sings the welsh anthem for the Welsh NHS.. I quite like that as Welsh courses are now booming because of it.. Even got me back into it.. a good knock on effect.. But i am sick of the wartime spirit.. Giving up on an enemy and saying take it on the chin as it rips through the country wasnt 'Churchill', it also wasnt him who promoted the economy over the lives of old and sick people (as they thought it was at the time).. That was the other guy..

I was in Spain, Andalucia, fir the month of March. There they clapped EVERY night. When the King decided to make a speech people decided to bang saucepans at the same time to drown him out. Now that's what I call appropriate. The people were so disciplined in keeping to the rules of lockdown. The police were very efficient and polite as well. We did eventually get back home to Wales after 2 cancelled flights and a 3rd to an airport 250 miles from where iI wanted to be. The Spanish community that we were in had a great sense of community spirit and stayed in touch through social media. Fresh air compared to the politicising of the whole problem we have here in Britain. Wales and the Welsh should have more self confidence and be willing to go independently.

That is a great article. Thanks.

Well herd immunity didn't catch on so they opted for herd behaviours instead, and got some kind of result. A well meaning gesture rapidly hijacked and turned into a soft form of street fascism where you conform or neighbours look down their f***in' noses at you ! We now have an NHS that is beyond reproach and criticism yet the same panicking politicians who chuck everything at it today will be looking for stiff cuts as soon as this blows over. Maybe our shallow modern society gets the politicians it deserves.

Spot on! NHS staff know how highly people value them, without this cringemaking display. I hope the exemplary courage and commitment shown by NHS workers during the current pandemic stills the tongues of the minority of hospital patients who sometimes verbally abuse them and make unreasonable demands on their time and patience. Still, if someone feels the need to express their gratitude in this audible way, clap on!

I love this. The social pressure in my village is starting, with injunctions from people too young to know better telling us to fly the Union Flag, print off the downloadable bunting and hold parties in our front gardens. “They are the feckless children of 70 years of peace” as Ferdinand Mount put it. My late parent's generation fought it and they alone have the right to celebrate it. The world has moved on. Call me a curmudgeonly old sod but we’re due some rain.

Of course we should honour those battling this disease on our behalf but, as the article mentions, those politicians, who have run the service down over the last 10 years , smuggly clapping too is a pure insult. However, that is exactly what populists do - jump on the bandwagon of sentiment - anything to, look good, boost their warped ideology and get votes. For heaven's sake, let's learn the lesson and kick the scum out at the next election!

Totally agree. The only worthwhile part of the ritual is the "after church" chat with neighbours shouting across the road with useful information about where to get scarce commodities and general catching-up. It seems that over the weeks the clapping part has become shorter and the chatting part extends well into the evening! There isn't anything that isn't good for something ...

Not sure why William and Kate are clapping, the royal family avoid using NHS like the plague. More likely to find them in King Edward VII's Hospital, which describes itself as "London's foremost private hospital."

I agree that in isolated rural areas there is little point in clapping and banging pans but a couple of weeks ago I inadvertently did set off a local NHS clapfest 20 minutes early by repairing a boundary fence at 7.40pm. I live on the side of a steep sided valley with a smattering of farms and residences, most impressively detached from each other. Our sheep, especially the young lambs, sometimes sample our neighbour's fields and fence repairs are required. I don't have the strength yet (after an illness last year) to put the wooden posts in. My son bangs in the wooden fence posts and I tack the wire on later with metal staples. Hitting a metal staple with a hammer is eerily like the sound of banging saucepan lids. I respectfully waited until the tribute went quiet and I started banging in a staple, but the banging of pan lids and increasingly slurred singing started up again. I suspect there was quite a party, possibly involving alcohol, somewhere to the west across the valley. The valley of the Afan Mawr has a natural echo. Its easily heard now in the absence of the usual road traffic. Hammering in staples each blow echoes perfectly. I now try to avoid repairing fencing on Thursdays. I'm not sure about the promotion of these clapping NHS tributes. We are all grateful to front line NHS and Care home staff but I often feel that best way to support them is not with clapping, but to ensure that they have the right equipment to do their jobs.